Various types of vehicle bodies are known in the art. One prominent type has an open top which permits top loading. Such vehicle bodies include not only truck bodies but also, for example, railroad cars. Another type of vehicle body, which is gaining prominence is the re-cycling body used for hauling refuse. In particular, such re-cycling vehicles are compartmentalized so that different types of refuse could be loaded into the individual compartments. For example, bottles and other types of glass might be loaded into one compartment, paper might be loaded into another compartment, metal cans might be loaded into a further compartment, etc. Generally such re-cycling vehicles provide each compartment with its own door. Such doors are generally formed to slide up and down so as to vary the amount of access to a compartment. For example, when a compartment is almost empty the door would be slid to its open most position, thereby maximizing access to the compartment. As the compartment is filled the door would be open to a lesser degree. When the compartment is almost completely full the access is quite restricted.
It would be desirable if a covering system could be provided for the above type vehicles wherein access could be had in a simple and convenient manner through the top of the vehicle body. It would also be desirable if a cover system could be provided wherein the access through the top of the body is limited to the areas where the vehicle body would be loaded.
It is known to provide vehicles with body cover systems wherein the cover member is in the form of a flexible tarpaulin (tarp) which would extend completely across and cover the entire open top of the vehicle. In one form of cover system (U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,179) which has met with great success the tarp is moved between its open and closed positions by being mounted to and thus guided and moved by a cable system secured around pulleys at the top of the vehicle body. The movement of the tarp is effected by a crank or handle on the side of the vehicle. In this arrangement the vehicle is exposed through its top beginning at the rear end of the vehicle body until a tarp has moved completely toward the front end to completely expose the vehicle. Such system would not be particularly suitable for compartmentalized re-cyling vehicles since the entire top would have to be exposed for access to a front end compartment.